What Are You Waiting For?

Earlier this month we talked about waiting... Waiting for Christmas to come and waiting to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I wanted to take a little more time though, to talk about how we should wait and what it is we are waiting for...

David spoke a lot of waiting. You can find this theme in many of the Psalms. 
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. (Psalm 130:5-6)



For David, waiting seemed to be almost a physical act. The way he describes the process of waiting, it's almost like it's something palpable. And he waited with hope. Hope is such an important aspect of waiting. Without hope, waiting isn't something positive, it turns to something more related to fear, or dread. With hope, though, there is promise. Something to look forward to; something we are earnestly desiring - much like Christmas morning when we are children.

But what is it we are waiting for? In the big picture, as Christians we are waiting for Christ's return. On a more micro level though, we are all waiting on the Lord for something - or many somethings - in our lives each day. David writes very eloquently and symbolically, of these things in Psalm 40:

1I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

2He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

3He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.

What "slimy pit" are you in right now? What is the "mud and mire" that you need to be pulled out of? Perhaps it is a relationship issue. Maybe it's a job you are stuck in - or the lack of a job and you need one? Maybe it's a son or daughter you've been praying for for years and seeing no progress? There are an endless number of slimy pits that suck us in throughout our lives. We are called to wait patiently on Him though, fervently wait, for His response or "arrival", if you will.

And arrive, He will! He will lift us out! He will set our feet back on solid ground! And He will put a new song in us. We will see that our hope is not in vain. And the process makes us stronger. The process makes our trust even stronger. And it will make the next time of waiting just a little bit easier.

Whatever you may be waiting on God for, keep your hope in Him strong and fervent today. Just like we know Christmas morning will come, know that He will come, too. 

The song below is a modern version of the Psalm 40 that David wrote probably 3,000 years ago. It carries a special place in my heart, for the circumstances around which I heard it performed live, nearly 30 years ago. Listen to it and let the meaning and message resonate in your heart today.


Location: Milton, GA, USA

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